MADISON - Republican lawmakers are seeking to intervene in a lawsuit brought by Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin because they don't trust Attorney General Josh Kaul to defend the state's abortion laws.

The Democratic attorney general has filed paperwork in the case saying he intends to represent the state but hasn't spelled out what legal position he will take.

The move is the latest example of state officials from both parties using taxpayer money to hire private attorneys in legal fights over state laws.

'With Attorney General Kaul’s lengthy history of forwarding Planned Parenthood’s agenda, and with Attorney General Kaul not signaling how he plans to defend Wisconsin’s pro-life laws, it is necessary for the Legislature to attempt to intervene in this case," Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau said in a statement.

"Democrats across the country are rolling back pro-life laws and pushing the legalization of late-term abortions. Wisconsin Republicans will fight against any efforts to try that here," Fitzgerald said.

Planned Parenthood attorney Lester Pines said the move would drive up costs for taxpayers without doing anything to improve the chances of keeping the state's abortion laws in place.

He said it was ridiculous for Republicans to seek to intervene in the case without knowing what position Kaul is taking.

"These guys just want to be junior governors, co-governors," Pines said of Republican lawmakers. "They want to be co-attorneys general."

He said lawmakers would have a tough time intervening in the case, despite a lame-duck law aimed at making it easier for lawmakers to get involved in legal fights.

"They can pass whatever little statutes they want about intervention, but those statutes don't change federal law," he said.

Through a spokeswoman, Kaul declined to state what legal position he would take or say whether he would fight lawmakers' attempt to intervene in the case.

Planned Parenthood brought its lawsuit in January in an attempt to strike down laws that prevent nurses from performing abortions and limit the ability of women to obtain medications that induce abortions.

If U.S. District Judge William Conley sides with the group, abortion would be available more widely in Wisconsin, particularly in rural areas.

The lawsuit contends advanced practice nurses — such as nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives — should be able to perform certain types of abortions. The lawsuit also asks to make it easier for women to obtain medication that causes abortions, including by allowing them to consult with doctors and nurses through video links.

Kaul has signaled he plans to defend the state's abortion laws but has not explicitly stated what he plans to do. He has to file a briefing in the case next week.

An arm of Planned Parenthood endorsed Kaul last year. Last week, Kaul joined 20 other attorneys general in a lawsuit meant to block a federal rule that would bar family planning clinics that receive taxpayer funding from referring patients to abortion providers.

Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz, a Democrat from Oshkosh, said GOP leaders were on a "power trip."

"This latest decision proves that a primary focus of Wisconsin Republicans is to abuse taxpayer dollars in order to undercut and undermine an attorney general that was democratically elected by the majority of Wisconsin voters," Hintz said in a statement.

Lawyers to get taxpayer money

On Wednesday, the heads of the Joint Committee on Legislative Organization sent members a ballot asking them to sign off on hiring attorneys and attempting to intervene in the case. The ballots are due Thursday and the measure is expected to easily pass the Republican-controlled committee.

"It's important that there's representation in this case that will stand up to Planned Parenthood and defend these important pro-life laws," said a statement from Assembly Speaker Robin Vos of Rochester.

If the committee approves the ballot, Vos and Senate President Roger Roth of Appleton would have the power to decide what attorneys to hire and how much to pay them in taxpayer funding. Leaders did not say what firms they are considering.

In other recent cases, Republicans hired the law firm Troutman Sanders at $500 an hour. In those other cases, Democratic officials have hired private firms at taxpayer expense — including Pines' firm — at $275 an hour.

That litigation has been over lame-duck laws Republican lawmakers approved in December to curb the powers of Kaul and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

Among the provisions in those laws is one that gives lawmakers broader powers to intervene in lawsuits. Nonetheless, it will be up to the judge to determine whether to let them participate in the case.

Planned Parenthood's lawsuit comes soon after federal courts threw out a law approved by Wisconsin Republicans in 2013 that required doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals.